Lyndol Descant Singing Pianist NYC

View Original

Using your Creativity for Your Shadow Work

Shadow work is something that gets to the heart of our work here on this planet. If people are really serious about changing this world, then sooner or later they realize that their own Shadow work has to be part of their daily existence.

“The best political, social, and spiritual work we can do is to withdrawl the projection of our shadow onto others.” Carl Jung

What is Shadow work? It's having the courage to go deep into the dark recesses of your memory, your personality, your interpersonal relationships. It's facing all the things that you might not want to face – the pain, the suffering, the hurt. And when you've done this work long enough you know that in the corners of your experiences, you've been both - the victim and the victimizer. You've been hurt and you've hurt. It may or may not be in equal measure, but often the pain is the same. It hurts so much to be betrayed, lied to, abandoned. But the deeper you go in your work, then the more you see that you've also done all those things – if to no one else but yourself. This is where you start to break thru the blue sky wall, like in the Truman Show. And metaphysical principals come alive. We are all one. There is nothing but Love. And forgiveness redeems you from the inside out.

But if you haven't studied these things for yourself, this is not the small blog to explain it all to you. Instead, today I want to speak to those already on this journey, as well as plant seeds for those who may be beginning to feel the call. And I want to propose combining your creative passions with this shadow work.

It can be daunting, to realize that you can't change the world, when you yourself are a flawed creative. Not the superhero your ego wants you to believe. You have to let go of your delusions. You have to get real about your own sins. I use this word carefully, not to invoke deeply religious debates. But because it triggers in a lot of us our own guilty conscience that we try so desperately to avoid.

“There is no coming to consciousness with out pain. People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own soul.” Carl Jung

But it's precisely these triggers that we need to explore. Instead of being thankful for our triggers, we escape into our our additions; such as movies, alcohol, shopping, obsessions. Why? I guess because it's more comfortable to project our guilt out into the world whilst we remain numbed out.

We will never be our full, empowered selves if we don't stop to listen to the incredibly dark and devasting voices that haunt us - just beyond our consciousness. Deep down, we blame ourselves for everything. It's hard to convince young people of this, but the longer you live, the more you know that you can't earn or prove your worthiness from worldly success. It must be discovered from with in, and for most of us, it's buried under a mountain of guilt.

This is where music, or painting or writing can help in this sacred process. You can learn through discipline to use your own creativity to transmute your pain into something beautiful.

“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.” Carl Jung

For example, I might have a trigger from something a friend said to me. Suddenly I find I'm nervous, can't sit still and upon further scrutiny, I recognize I'm angry at my friend. With out being aware of Shadow work, I might just eat a bunch of junk food, binge watch my favorite show and complain to another friend (or two:) about what bitch that person is (blame on exterior circumstances)

But with the discipline I've developed over the years, I won't let the emotions take over. BUT – I also won't repress them either.

Instead I sit down and journal them, and often it becomes a poem, then a song. As I work on the song, I'm continuing to bring my attention to the pain. And eventually a shift occurs. I'm not triggered anymore. And the song itself becomes a release. That shadow was brought to the light of day – to the light of my own consciousness. It no longer controls me from behind the scenes. It might get triggered again, and again, but less and less each time. Especially now that I have a weapon – the song – in my arsenal.

When we face our pain in the light of our consciousness, it can now be healed. Why? This is a big question and deserves a big answer. In order to even come close, we all have to be investigating it and contributing our own experiences to the grand answer – to find the truth. I'm not sure we do know definitely why at this stage, when so few humans even see the value in this work.

But when you're engaged in this work, you see it over and over again. The pain is so bad you don't think you can survive to look it in the eyes, but the minute you do... pooff! It looses it's power over you.

Maybe it's because the past is over, and can't control in the present. Maybe because love is the ultimate truth in the universe and is embedded in our consciousness when we get present and stop living in our delusions. Maybe it's because nothing dark can survive when the light is turned out.

Whatever it is, I have more than 30 years experience and know with certaintly that it does change your world miraculously from the inside out.

So many today are still trying to save the world but refuse to face their own demons. They will always dead end into hypocricy;it's the human condition. They will end up like the French Revolutionaries who had the best intentions, but became just as cruely tyranical as the monarchs they deposed.

The game of life is harder than most want to admit. You have to be willing to face your deepest fears, your harshest shame and that debilitating guilt. Only then can you be used in this world for good.

If you are motivated to do this work, this is to encourage you.

If you're already doing this work, this is to THANK YOU sincerely. And emplore you to keep going. We are chipping away at humanities collective consciousness...

“None of us stands outside humanity's black collective shadow.” - Carl Jung

And if you are not already tuned into your creativity, this is advocate using it in this pursuit. This Shadow Work is important beyond what we can conceive in our postage stamp consensus. But having my music and art as my vehicle driving it forward has grounded and stablized me in this world, enabling me to focus on it with out going off the deep end. I'm so thankful. So I want to gently suggest you listen to the calling of the holy Spirit, offering you a personalized, inspired path forward. I pray that you will find a creative pursuit that gives discipline and meaning to this deeply personal work that connects you to worlds beyond this one.

For more on Shadow work and listening to your creativity – please check out these 2 videos set to empowered music.

Shadow Work

https://youtu.be/7BZLeT6fG-8

Following Intuition

https://youtu.be/MzIo9aikPo4

For more inspiration on creative works – please check out my music videos which feature my art/photos, encoded with this deep healing.

For a free consultation on opening and using your creativity in this noble pursuit, please DM.

Thanks,

Lyndol